


Epic

by Reia (R314)



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 13:06:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18250445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R314/pseuds/Reia
Summary: He addressed her familiarly, calling her by her first name, completely disregarding propriety and decorum. He smiled wide and assumed they would play like normal children would.Even at the young age of seven, Chi-Chi knew that she was royalty and Kakarot…… well, he was technically her gift.





	Epic

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to try the same narrative style as "Best Laid Plans" but under an epic fantasy lens with shout-outs to some fanfic tropes (can you spot which ones?)

They met as children and he’d annoyed her immediately.

He addressed her familiarly, calling her by her first name, completely disregarding propriety and decorum. He smiled wide and assumed they would play like normal children would.

Even at the young age of seven, Chi-Chi knew that she was royalty and Kakarot…

… well, he was technically her gift.

At the time, she found the concept of humans as gifts odd and she didn’t understand why this little boy was to shadow her for the rest of her life.

Of course, she was still a child. She didn’t understand peace treaties and geopolitical posturing. 

But as they grew up and Chi-Chi was being slowly groomed to take over the kingdom, she learned about all the responsibilities waiting for her when she came of age.

But for now, she was seven and this annoying boy was talking her head off about fishing and going for a swim.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi adored Bardock, her personal guard. Her own father, the Ox King, was very busy and couldn’t really take time off to give a spritely young girl the type of attention she craved. She knew her papa loved her very much, but she understood he had his duties to attend to.

But Bardock, as her guard, had to be with her all the time and he read her stories and gave her cuddles and was the absolute best.

He even trained her in martial arts — as a princess to a warrior kingdom, she had to exude strength and also know how to defend herself.

He was also Kakarot’s papa, which made tolerating the boy a little bearable.

.  
.  
.

Bardock trained Kakarot and herself separately, explaining that his son might hurt her by accident. Chi-Chi was insulted and enraged. How could she defend her own kingdom if she was being coddled like this?

She forced Kakarot to spar with her in secret, using her title as a way to guilt him to do her bidding.

It frustrated her that she could feel him hold back. 

So she punched him straight through a tree.

She was twelve, she wasn’t a baby any more!

.  
.  
.

Kakarot smacked her across the face and she went flying, hitting her back against the wall.

She heard him exclaim in horror, then there was a lot of shouting… she wasn’t sure what was going on since she was a little dazed and in pain, trying to gather her bearings.

She later found out to her utter dismay that he’d been beaten soundly for harming the princess and had been locked up without food for a week.

Only through her desperate pleading and her promise to her father that she was to stop these secret sparring sessions—explaining she had forced Kakarot to train with her—that Kakarot was allowed to go to the infirmary to recover from his punishment.

Bardock was also beaten then sent to jail for a week without food in his son’s place.

It was the first time Chi-Chi truly understood that she and her childhood companion were not equals.

It was the first time she understood that she could not be so careless, so selfish, with her demands.

.  
.  
.

Kakarot had forgiven her easily, taking all the responsibility. He was not bitter at all; in fact, he was all smiles when he returned to his post along with his father.

She cried out of despair and guilt while he held her.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi was starting to feel awkward around Kakarot and she wasn’t sure why.

She had started to find his face fascinating, drawn to his sharp angles and large, round eyes, guileless and free.

She didn’t like this feeling.

She wondered how to stop it.

 

.  
.  
.

Elocution lessons were incredibly boring.

She and Kakarot would laugh over the silliness of all the new “princess lessons” she was starting to take since turning fourteen.

.  
.  
.

She saw one of the kitchen girls throw her arms around Kakarot when she went to fetch him after his lunch one day.

Chi-Chi felt her fists and stomach clench.

.  
.  
.

Later, she told Kakarot that he should only dine with her, not with the rest of the servants.

What if someone tried to poison her? He had to taste her food first.

He readily agreed. Royal food was so much better.

.  
.  
.

Bardock had slowly stopped showing at his post, and Kakarot was in his place.

Apparently, his son was old enough now to take over full-time guarding duties.

At sixteen and well-versed in the martial arts, it annoyed Chi-Chi that her father still felt she needed a guard. She could defend herself. And she was a young woman now, not a girl.

Besides, Kakarot seemed to purposely annoy her these days. He didn’t seem to understand that they were no longer children and that she was a princess, and he was to address her as such now, like his father before him.

Sometimes, she felt like he called her Cheech just to needle her.

.  
.  
.

Sometimes, when they were out taking a walk in the forest, she’d try to convince Kakarot to spar with her, just like they did as kids. She told him just the movements, that it wasn’t a real spar, so that he couldn’t accidentally hurt her like he did that one time.

He had refused. 

But what if she was alone and he wasn’t there? She needed to be able to defend herself.

He had softly told her he would always be by her side.

But she knew that couldn’t be true. 

.  
.  
.

Her father had set her aside and explained that in about five years time, she would be expected to choose a suitor. Since he loved his daughter, he wanted to give her a choice of princes as opposed to choosing one for her, and he would give her time to grow to like one.

The Ox King’s own father had been kind enough to give him the same privilege and Chi-Chi’s mother had been his one great love.

Chi-Chi had cried herself to sleep that night.

Kakarot had been confused and unable to soothe her.

.  
.  
.

It was really awkward to have a walk with Prince Yamcha while Kakarot hovered just a few steps behind.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi was readying herself for bed and was to bid Kakarot a good evening as he settled into the cot just outside her door.

But something compelled her to stop and stare at him silently, both of them clad in nothing but their sleeping clothes.

They stared at each other for a long time, their breaths the only sound in her silent chambers.

Her heart was beating fast as she turned abruptly and went through her door.

.  
.  
.

That same kitchen girl had the impudence to kiss Kakarot in full view of everyone.

Chi-Chi found herself enraged as she watched Kakarot tentatively return the embrace.

.  
.  
.

She had no right to be angry, she knew. But she was.

She was furious.

So she ordered Kakarot to stop calling her Chi-Chi and to address her as princess from now on.

He had laughed at her sharp command, but soon stopped when she slapped him clear across the face.

She had never struck him before, not in anger.

“Yes, princess,” he said quietly.

.  
.  
.

She held Prince Yamcha’s hand on their next walk and the young prince seemed thrilled.

Inside, she hoped Kakarot was as furious as she had been when she’d seen him with the kitchen girl.

However, when she’d angled him a glance, his expression was calm and neutral.

Chi-Chi was unprepared for the sting of hurt that clenched in her chest.

.  
.  
.

Prince Piccolo was an interesting sort. 

He didn’t seem to be all that interested in these proceedings, courting princesses and the like.

It was clear that he was uninterested in her, at least in that sort of manner, which allowed Chi-Chi to drop her guard.

They spoke about the books they read and she found him intellectually stimulating.

Kakarot was always quiet as a mouse in these situations and normally relegated to the background but Prince Piccolo had no qualms acknowledging his presence.

All three of them had an animated conversation about martial arts and it was a great afternoon.

.  
.  
.

“I like Prince Piccolo,” Chi-Chi said aloud. “What do you think?”

Kakarot looked at her oddly. “What do you mean?”

“I’m asking if you think he would be good for me.”

He was silent for a while. 

Finally: “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you care what I think?”

Chi-Chi felt her mind race for an appropriate answer and there was none so her eyes narrowed and her chin lifted, the way it did when she wanted to remind him she was a princess.

“My reasons are my own. Next time I ask a question, be sure to answer me directly or I shall punish you for your insolence.”

Kakarot’s gaze flickered at her tone and he seemed to withdraw further. Chi-Chi resisted the urge to take her own words back.

“Well?” Chi-Chi prodded, crossing her arms.

“He seems like a gentleman.”

“More so than Prince Yamcha?”

At that, Kakarot cracked a small smile. “Yeah, just a little bit.”

.  
.  
.

She wondered if he would do whatever she said, as long as she pulled rank.

She immediately felt ashamed.

.  
.  
.

“You may call me Chi-Chi once more,” she said finally.

“Yes, princess,” he said.

She frowned, but didn’t correct him.

.  
.  
.

She asked him one day what he would choose to do if he wasn’t obligated to guard her for life.

He didn’t seem to understand the question.

As explanation, she said sometimes she wished she wasn’t a princess. That all she wanted was a simple life as a wife and mother.

He seemed pretty shocked by that, but said nothing.

.  
.  
.

“I would farm, maybe,” he said tentatively one night.

It took her a second to realize that he was answering her innocent question from the other day; what he would do if weren’t her personal royal guard.

“Really? Farm work?”

He nodded. “I like food. I like the earth.”

“It’s a lot of hard work,” Chi-Chi said seriously. 

He shrugged, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“I don’t mind that.”

.  
.  
.

 

She began to fret as to how to keep their friendship once she was married.  
.  
.  
.

 

Her castle was under siege.

Chi-Chi was fighting off some of the army, when she heard her father yell at Kakarot to grab his daughter and run.

Chi-Chi screamed, tears running down her face as Kakarot grasped her waist while her castle began to burn to the ground. She struggled, trying to escape his grip as she tried to reach her father as the rafters began to fall and fire engulfed the grand hall.

“Papa!” Chi-Chi shrieked, reaching out. “Let me go!”

“I’m so sorry, princess,” Kakarot said brokenly, and she felt a sharp pain to her head before she went limp in his arms.

.  
.  
.

The Saiyans had swooped in to save them. She had heard stories about Vegeta, their dark prince, who had been known to raze whole villages in one fell swoop. The crown prince certainly lived up to his reputation as he stormed her castle, destroying all her enemies in his wake.

That was all part of the reason for their alliance after all, why Bardock and Kakarot had been sent to them.

Apparently, Kakarot fought alongside Prince Vegeta and had looked every part a vengeful demon as people would tell her later.

Still, it was too little, too late.

.  
.  
.

She would never forgive him.

She would never forgive him for stopping her from defending her home.

She would never forgive him for failing to save her father.

She wished Kakarot had died instead.

She wished she had died instead.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi had seen nothing like Vegetasei, since she had never once left Fire Mountain. Where Fire Mountain had been lush with broad leaves and bright flowers, Vegetasei was all sharp red rock, thorny foliage and deep cliffs.

Their home was as intimidating as its people.

It was beautiful.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi was to stay in Vegetasei while Fire Mountain and her kingdom was being rebuilt. Until it was deemed safe, she was to stay with them as a royal guest.

Kakarot had been awarded some high prize for her safe rescue; apparently he’d been a third-class Saiyan and his bravery in the face of the siege and the consequent response lifted him to second-class ranking. It was a high honor, as rankings were set at birth, which only royal decree could change.

She was still angry and refused to speak to him, though he still guarded her every day and night.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi was lost.

While she was a princess, every Saiyan looked down at her like she was worthless. Especially since she was a warrior princess and had failed to defend her home.

They made her feel ashamed.

Kakarot had tried to cajole her out of her loneliness and depression, but she pretended he didn’t exist.

She could have died with dignity amongst her people if it wasn’t for him.

.  
.  
.

It was odd being normal for once.

On Vegetasei, she wasn’t really considered royalty. 

There was only the line of Vegeta and everything else was just window dressing to them.

They even treated Kakarot like he was higher than she was.

He was Saiyan, after all, a second-rank now. No, he wasn’t elite, but at least he wasn’t a dirty human like she was.

It was hard to get used to.

.  
.  
.

People started to talk about how a small personal guard discarded off to a faraway kingdom could end up rising in the ranks so quickly.

.  
.  
.

Kakarot still shadowed her whenever possible.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi felt her spirits lift when she met Bulma Briefs.

She was around her age, fun and boisterous, and spoke to her freely. She was whip smart, and she was pleased to find that they’d read similar books growing up.

She was quite beautiful and her intellect seemed to know no bounds.

If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought Bulma was a princess as well.

Instead, Bulma and her family, the Briefs, had been humble scientists from a far-off land named Chikyuu. When the Saiyans had taken over, they were spared due to their intellect and somehow found peace in their new home, advising the Saiyans on technology and science.

Chi-Chi had been horrified, but this was the reality of war. Her own kingdom had done similarly with the surrounding villages and if it wasn’t for her own father’s craftiness, the Ox King’s generosity of their kingdom’s natural resources and ensuing peace alliance, she supposed that her people would have been ravaged and razed by the Saiyans, too.

Though, the Briefs seemed to be quite content and they assured her they weren’t being forced to do anything against their will. 

Apparently, the royal line was quite generous as long as unflinching loyalty was freely given.

.  
.  
.

 

She started to talk to Kakarot again.

After a few weeks of talking to Bulma and relaying how she had found herself in Vegetasei, Bulma convinced her to try to forgive her long-time guard.

He had saved her life after all.

It wasn’t his fault that the castle had been raided and he had fought alongside the crown prince to defend her home.

In the evening, she stiltedly asked him about dinner since she hadn’t eaten with him in a long while.

He had stared at her for a few beats, surprised that she bothered even acknowledging him, but finally told her that it wasn’t as good as back in her castle.

She was extremely irritated and immediately ended the conversation. 

It was because of that stupid kitchen wench, wasn’t it?

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi decided she was bored and was wasting away at Vegetasei with not much to do. She had no princess duties, everyone laughed at her when she asked for a spar, and she felt like she had read all the books she wanted.

She remembered Kakarot mentioning that he felt the food here was subpar.

She found herself in the kitchens and they let her since she was a princess and was a guest, and the Prince had said she could do whatever she really wanted.

So she started to cook.

.  
.  
.

The first time Chi-Chi asked Kakarot to stay for dinner, he was surprised but said nothing.

He was even more pleased about the food. It was amazing! He wondered if there was a new chef in the kitchens.

She shyly told him that she had cooked it all when he was done.

He was truly impressed, though confused as to why a princess was cooking at all.

.  
.  
.

She found she really looked forward to cooking dinner for herself and Kakarot.

It became a regular thing.

.  
.  
.  
Kakarot was asked to be Prince Vegeta’s official royal guard, shocking everyone.

No one understood why.

Something was brewing, Chi-Chi suspected, and made her stomach roil with unease.

Chi-Chi saw him less and less.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi was shocked to see her friend Bulma kissing the crown prince.

She knew well enough to lower her ki and sneak away as fast as possible.

.  
.  
.

“Bulma and the prince–”

“I know,” Kakarot said quickly with a swift shake of his head. “Let’s not talk about it.”

“Why not?” Chi-Chi asked.

“It is forbidden,” Kakarot said sadly. “He is to wed another Saiyan. He is a prince, Chi-Chi.”

“But—”

“Cheech, you should know better than most.” His voice was reproachful. His eyes were boring into hers and she wondered about words unsaid.

At that, she met his steady gaze. “I’m not a princess any more.”

He tore his gaze away. “No, you’re a queen.”

.  
.  
.

She grasped his arm as he said good-bye, urging him not to leave.

“The Colds are not like the Red Ribbon Army that destroyed your home. The prince cannot go to their kingdom without me. They have captured the King! I have to go!”

Tears streaked down her cheeks. “Then kiss me, you fool!”

Kakarot looked startled. “What?”

“I may never see you again, so kiss me good-bye,” Chi-Chi said to his utter shock.

She didn’t wait for his response.

She grabbed his face and crushed her lips clumsily to his.

For a moment, she though the was going to push her away, but then he groaned in capitulation, the sound thrilling her. She found her head cradled in his hand as he plunged his tongue into her mouth and she tasted him tentatively, moving on instinct, as she had never done this with anyone before.

And yet, it seemed so natural, so easy, with him.

After what seemed like forever, they broke apart, breathing heavily.

She looked at him steadily and she was proud at her even voice when she said quietly, “Come back to me. Your princess commands it.”

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi was terrified. 

She had assumed the Saiyans were the most powerful beings in the universe but The Colds… they were on another level.

She hadn’t seen or heard from Kakarot since he left to fight, and there were rumors that he and the prince had been captured.

There was veritable panic in Vegetasei as the rest of those left behind started to prepare for all-out war.

Meanwhile, Bulma was unnaturally calm.

She showed up to Chi-Chi’s chambers one night and asked her a simple question:

“Are you willing to die for him?”

.  
.  
.

They had a straightforward goal — they needed to find Kakarot and Vegeta and free them. After infiltrating the Cold compound in their disguises, and sneaking around to get a better sense of the area, they found out that Vegeta was being held in a separate place than Kakarot.

Bulma decided they had to go to Kakarot first, since his help would probably be needed to actually rescue Vegeta. While they already knew this entire plan was foolhardy and had the slimmest of chances of succeeding, they would grab that chance with both hands.

It was hard to keep it together, though, when Chi-Chi saw Kakarot’s battered and bruised body in a heap.

Chi-Chi and Bulma tried to quietly subdue his captors.

They failed in the quiet part.

They had to use an explosive device.

.  
.  
.

Senzu beans were a miracle.

Kakarot seemed to be nearly a hundred percent after Chi-Chi had chewed the magic beans up and forced him to swallow, like a bird feeding her young.

Still, he was refusing to speak to her.

He was very angry that she had decided to put herself and Bulma in danger.

He spoke to Bulma, though, to help them find Vegeta.

Might as well try, even though he was convinced they were all going to die.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi was basically tasked to protect Bulma while Goku did the dirty, physical work of getting Vegeta out of his chains and fighting everyone in the way.

Bulma’s ki-draining gun was a veritable lifesaver, making it much easier for Chi-Chi to actually match up with some of the Ginyu Force.

Still, there was a lot of them and Chi-Chi found herself and Bulma being overpowered.

There was a sharp crack and Chi-Chi thought dimly that this was the end.

At least she died a warrior princess, defending her friend…

The last thing she was aware of was a guttural scream and blinding, yellow light before everything went black.

.  
.  
.

Her hand felt wet.

She remembered warm, trembling skin and dampness under her palm.

Someone’s cheek?

Everything hurt.

.  
.  
.

She felt someone’s lips on hers and something dip into her mouth.

She nearly choked and then fingers tipped her head back gently, then massaged her throat. She swallowed whatever it was as quickly as possible.

She smiled as warmth filled her veins.

The lips lingered.

.  
.  
.

She’d been out for two weeks, apparently.

She’d been given a senzu, but apparently she had been so close to death that it didn’t manage to get through her system as fast as it normally could.

The Saiyans had been impressed. 

A rescue and extraction of both a high ranking officer and their crown prince?

Perhaps she was a warrior princess after all.

.  
.  
.

King Cold was still alive, but he was very angry that his son had been slain.

He retreated, though, when Kakarot had been revealed as the Legendary.

Whatever that meant. 

Chi-Chi thought it was all rather confusing.

.  
.  
.

Kakarot was still refusing to speak to her, though he never seemed to let her out of his sight.

.  
.  
.

Strangely, Prince Vegeta kicked Kakarot off as his royal guard.

Bulma later told her it was because Vegeta had been ashamed that a “third-class dog” took his destiny away from him — whatever that meant. Vegeta was now insanely training for the inevitable showdown with King Cold. It was only a matter of time; each side, however, needed a chance to lick their wounds which allowed the current, tense impasse.

Everyone seemed to be training like crazy in Vegetasei nowadays.

Bulma told her Kakarot wasn’t the only person the prince had rejected recently, too. 

Defiant, Bulma too late noticed her slip and tried to babble that the prince was nothing but a fling. Good riddance. Etc.

Chi-Chi said nothing as she watched frustrated tears stream down Bulma’s porcelain skin.

.  
.  
.

She was done with the silent treatment.

“I am your princess and I demand you speak to me,” she snarled at him one afternoon.

He angled her a look and said nothing.

So she kicked him.

Hard.

Hard enough that he yelped and grabbed his shin in protest.

She attacked him again, but he dodged this time.

“What are you doing?” he asked finally, as she tried to get a punch in.

“Fight me, dammit!” she exclaimed.

“Stop it, Chi-Chi,” he snapped.

“This is the only language you seem to understand, so let’s talk this way, then,” Chi-Chi went on, trying to sweep him but he jumped nimbly away.

Ugh! He was just too good, too fast…

How had he gotten this good?

Soon, she found her anger melting away and exhilaration set in when Kakarot experimentally swiped back at her. She dodged immediately and she flushed at the impressed incline of his head.

He was sparring with her again.

She grinned as she tried to go at him full force.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi groaned.

She was so out of shape.

Well, perhaps compared to a Saiyan. Normally, she could hold her own against other humans; some even considered her the strongest woman in the world. But to a Saiyan?

Especially Kakarot?

She was like a beginner all over again.

Still, she felt happy.

More happy than she had ever been in a long while.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi learned that ever since Kakarot was revealed to be the Legendary, that Saiyan families have been pestering him to choose a bride.

She’d been totally under the dark about it since Kakarot never said a thing.

It wasn’t until she went to her room and found a naked Saiyan woman in her bed how extreme these pursuits were.

The Saiyan woman had mistaken her room for Kakarot’s, since his was right beside hers.

They asked for increased security around both their rooms.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi asked him if he would choose a Saiyan bride soon.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said.

.  
.  
.

“Have Saiyans ever married outside of their race?” Chi-Chi asked idly during one of their walks. Kakarot gave her a quick side-long glance.

“Not officially.”

Her brows rose. “What does that mean?”

He sighed and shrugged. “No one on Vegetasei ‘gets married’ like your kingdom or the others. We find mates. No one here acknowledges anything but a Saiyan ceremony.”

“What happens in a Saiyan ceremony?” Chi-Chi was curious, surprised she didn’t know more about her best friend’s culture.

Kakarot blushed and shook his head. “I cannot say.”

Chi-Chi grimaced, crossing her arms. “I demand you explain!”

Kakarot gave her a frustrated sigh, but saw the stubborn look in her eyes. “There is a pledge signed with a thumbprint of blood amongst witnesses.”

Chi-Chi’s eyes widened, but it wasn’t as shocking as Kakarot made it sound. “That’s strange, but not as illicit as you made it seem.”

“I understand that most couplings occur after a wedding ceremony for a kingdom like yours. For Saiyans, we…”

“Yes…?” Chi-Chi prompted, her heart pounding.

“There is a… ceremonial coupling, in a special, private room. The blood is extracted during coupling, when each mate bites the other,” Kakarot added, his face red. “They exit the private room, are wrapped in ceremonial robes, then they are asked to sign the pledge with the blood from each other’s fresh wounds.”

At that, Chi-Chi’s face matched his. 

.  
.  
.

“Good-night, Chi-Chi,” Kakarot said, giving her a hug as he always did at the end of the day.

Chi-Chi refused to let him go.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, while in the circle of each other’s arms.

“Your princess… would like a good-night kiss,” she said boldly, though her face was warm.

“Chi-Chi...” he sighed, sounding resigned, but didn’t step away.

So she leaned forward and caught his lips. She was done waiting.

.  
.  
.

They kissed each other good-night for the next few evenings, nothing more.

Chi-Chi was getting frustrated.

.  
.  
.

“Take off your clothes,” she said coolly, though her heart was pounding very heavily.

His eyes widened, clearly shocked at her forwardness. “This is not a good idea, Chi-Chi.”

“Are you disobeying your princess?” she said as haughtily as possible.

She saw his lips quirk slightly. “Yes.”

She flushed, feeling unsure. “Am I not desirable?”

His brows drew together sharply. “Never question that, my love.”

Chi-Chi’s ears began to ring. 

Did he just tell her he loved her?

.  
.  
.

They had a small sparring session, and Chi-Chi was invigorated.

Afterward, they laid on the grass, staring into the sky, catching their breaths—or, rather, she was breathing heavily; he was completely unaffected—and resting. Side-by-side like this, knowing him, she could tell something was wrong.

His mood had been strange all day.

“There’s rumblings that King Cold is near ready,” he said finally.

She was immediately gripped with fear.

“Will you fight?”

“Of course.”

“Then, so will I,” Chi-Chi said. 

He flashed her an irritated glance; it was a rare look on his face.

“Don’t be foolish,” he said.

“I seem to recall two women successfully infiltrating defenses and saving two Saiyans,” Chi-Chi returned fiercely.

“You nearly died,” he growled. He was angry at her again.

She shrugged, the gesture nonchalant, but she was a mess of emotion.

“I had to try,” she said.

“The Prince will never allow it,” he said with a little bit of satisfaction.

“That’s okay. Bulma and I have never been great at following orders,” Chi-Chi returned.

He seemed absolutely furious at her now. “I forbid it.”

Chi-Chi’s jaw dropped and her own temper flared. “Who are you to take that insolent tone with me?! What power do you have to forbid anything?”

He glared at her silently and she decided it was not worth pursuing further discussion as she stomped away from him angrily.

.  
.  
.

The next morning, she was unable to open her chamber doors.

She banged against the large wooden barrier, yelling several times to be let out.

A voice she didn’t recognize told her that under strict orders of the Prince that she was under house arrest.

Chi-Chi’s jaw dropped. What had she done to…?

Kakarot!

That awful man!

Chi-Chi locked her jaw and thought that if she didn’t love him so much, she would hate him.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi thought it was rather hilarious that she had somehow fallen into a fairytale trope. Here she was, a princess from a foreign land, locked in a room on a high plane, and guarded heavily.

However, she was no ordinary princess.

She was a warrior.

She tied several large pieces of cloth together and was planning to rappel down the side of castle from her balcony when the door opened. Hastily, she tried to hide the makeshift rope behind a curtain.

Kakarot walked in with a tray of food and placed it on their little dining table.

He looked a little apologetic but also resolute. 

“This is for your own good, Chi-Chi,” he said.

“I’ve never heard anyone explain imprisonment as ‘good,’” she returned furiously.

“I’ve never complained,” he returned, his brows raised. She flushed at his implication. Technically, he had been her indentured servant.

“If you promise not to run off when we go to war, I will lift the restrictions,” he said, his eyes pleading.

“I cannot promise you anything, the same way you cannot promise me,” she said honestly.

“I cannot bare the thought of losing you.”

The confession was quiet and heartfelt, and Chi-Chi’s heart lurched in her chest.

“Nor can I,” she said gently, walking toward him, her ire dissipating.

She normally initiated their kisses, but this time he dragged her to him and held the back of her head as he plundered her mouth.

Excitement ran through Chi-Chi’s veins as she returned the kiss with equal fervor.

After a while they broke apart, their breaths still mingling as they clung to each other.

“Make love to me,” she whispered.

He scooped her up bridal-style and carried her to the bed.

.  
.  
.

It was technically both their first time, so it was more awkward than she had anticipated.

Still, he was reverent and gentle; she was curious and playful.

It was perfect.

.  
.  
.

Afterward, she told him she loved him.

Had always loved him.

He held her tightly.

“I know,” he said.

.  
.  
.


End file.
